SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY What does 'summer' symbolize in sonnet 18 ? What leads the poet say that ' And every ...

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY

What does 'summer' symbolize in sonnet 18 ? What leads the poet say that ' And every fair from fair Sometime declines' ?

Here summer symbolizes beauty. Summer in England is always present. After due winter comes Charming summer. 

The poet praises the beauty of his beloved friend. He compares his beauty to the beauty of a summer day. But it soon occurs to the poet that summer's beauty is changeable. Summer lases its beauty very soon. The poet says that no earthly object can retain its loveliness for a long time. There may be a subtle hint at the mortality of the beauty of the poet's friend. The poet wants to suggest that his friend may be exceedingly beautiful but can't hold his beauty for ever. It is only possible if the poet makes him immortal in his verse.